


Careful Where You Put It

by mauvaise_foi



Category: Akatsuki no Yona | Yona of the Dawn
Genre: (possibly?) pansexual Jae-Ha, First Time, Fluff, Hurt/Comfort, Kija is just trying his best to keep up, M/M, asexual Kija, just a little bit of smut because Jae-Ha is in there
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-28
Updated: 2019-04-17
Packaged: 2019-09-29 07:54:13
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 5,633
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17199560
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mauvaise_foi/pseuds/mauvaise_foi
Summary: Jae-Ha has always been elusive about why he concealed his dragon leg, but in the face of a terrified - and adorable - Kija, secrets are much better shared than kept.(Based loosely on the commotion at the mansion in Chapter 158, and a headcanon of mine that dragon scales are really, REALLY sensitive.)





	1. Chapter 1

"UNHAND HER, YOU FIEND!" Kija roared as he reached his right arm towards the man. Heedless of Jae-Ha's voice behind him to stay calm, he unleashed his claws and lifted the offending commoner into the air, away from Yona. He had to make sure everyone here got the message: _no one_ was allowed to touch the Princess.

Even as Kija glared at the crowd and the man in his grasp screamed to be freed, a chorus of _ooh_ 's and _ahh_ 's arose at the sight of his massive dragon arm. The fire tribe - the people who believed in King Hiryuu more than any other, the people who heard how the dragon warriors aided them in the recent battle against Kai - suddenly found themselves witnesses to the power of the gods.

"Th-this is..."

"The legendary white dragon!"

Nameless faces crowded closer. The man Kija held in his claws tentatively stroked the monstrous fingers surrounding him. 

"A-amazing!" He cried. "I can feel the scales of Hakuryuu!"

As if on cue, the entire crowd clamoured to touch the legendary limb for themselves. With his arm still outstretched, holding the drunkard high above ground, Kija was powerless to stop them.

"This isn't fake, is it..?"

"Let me see!"

"It couldn't be-"

Kija was used to his arm throbbing with pain and adrenaline in battle. It was a feeling he'd simply become accustomed to. But the curious crowd stroking and probing at his scales ignited a different kind of throbbing - a new, uncomfortable, and violating sensation. He had the intense urge to vomit.

“Stop!” he muttered weakly. “Don’t t-touch me...”

Behind Kija, Jae-Ha was hit with a strong sense of déjà vu - the moments of helplessness in Xing Kingdom before ropes bound their necks and they were captured like animals. Back then, too, Kija was touched without his consent. But Jae-Ha knew that it was more than that.

He was the only one who knew. 

“Kija!” Jae-Ha’s face was dark as he gripped and forcefully pulled the younger man back into the room. He shut the window with finality as Kija drooped in his arms.

"Ungh.....Jae-Ha, h-help me," Kija whispered under his breath, his pale face flushing. “I don’t know what’s happening.”

Jae-Ha closed his eyes momentarily. This was not going to be easy on him.

"Boys~ please go over to Yona's room and make sure she's okay," Jae-Ha said cheerfully. “If she is, please go ahead and get some supper while I sort out Hakuryuu here, okay? We’ll join you soon.”

He gave a half-hearted grin and hoped that was enough. Zeno and Shin-ah nodded and trooped out obediently, but Yoon lingered just a moment longer, trying to read between Jae-Ha’s words. But eventually he, too, gave a quick nod of understanding and left the room to find the others.

Against Jae-Ha’s chest, Kija was breathing heavily, his cheeks still slightly flushed, his eyes partway between terror and confusion. Jae-Ha sighed. There was nothing for it.

“Kija dear, you’re going to be alright,” he soothed. “Just breathe slowly....that’s it. While you calm down, just listen for a bit as I explain what happened out there, okay?”

Jae-Ha crossed his fingers, choosing his next words carefully.

“I have been withholding this from you because there was no need for you to know, but for your own protection I can’t do that any longer.” He stroked the younger man’s hair softly as he said this. “Shin-Ah only possesses the dragon’s eyes, and Zeno only gains the scales when he is gravely injured, so they can’t tell you this. Our dragon scales are, in fact, a double-edged sword. They lend us great strength when we fight, but on their own, they may be... unbearably sensitive. For me and you, the scales are on us permanently. That is the reason why I never take off my boot unless absolutely necessary.”

Jae-Ha paused for a moment, looking down. Crystal blue eyes met his, silently asking him to continue. The green dragon swallowed with some difficulty. _Gods in heaven,_ he thought,  _I can’t believe I have to tell him this_.

“I have, ah, experimented, in the past,” Jae-Ha continued, looking skyward. “When with a partner of my choosing, the scales on my leg are touched or caressed, and it can become a source of immense pleasure. Pleasure as in.........you know, the intimate kind?”

No response.

Jae-Ha looked down and saw Kija covering his eyes with his dragon hand. Listening or not, at least he seemed to be breathing easier now.

“Right,” he trudged on. “So er, I am assuming you haven't had that sort of experience in the Hakuryuu village... so you would not have had the chance to know how it feels like. With us, as well, none of us touch your dragon arm unless we are in combat. That’s why, when the crowd touched you, it felt extre-“

“Can you teach me?”

“-mely uncomfortable and- wait, what?”

Kija looked up through his fingers, embarrassment written into every inch of his face. He took a deep breath and sat up, facing Jae-Ha with resolve even as he blushed hotly.

“I want to know what it feels like,” he added with a little more courage. “I cannot let this become a weakness to the group or to the Princess in the future.”

 _Shit, shit shit shit_. Jae-Ha’s mind was whirling. _What have I done_?

‘Kija dear, I think you missed the part where I said a partner _of my choosing_ ,” he replied slowly. “It would feel terrible otherwise.”

“You _are_ of my choosing,” Kija replied in earnest. “Unless I am not....for you?” Kija’s face fell, embarrassment coming back in full force.

Jae-Ha’s heart skipped a beat at that innocent declaration. He wanted to be suave and accept the compliment as he usually does, but mostly he wanted to dig a hole in the ground to bury himself in at that very moment. _I would never forgive myself if I refuse him now_. But Kija was not a casual lover he could forget after a night. He was a fellow dragon, bonded by blood, and he was possibly also the most beautiful man Jae-Ha would ever lay his hands on.

“That is not...that is to say...” he sputtered, at a loss for words the first time in his life. 

Kija took his hesitation as his answer.

“I understand, Ryokuryuu. I will not press this any further. Thank you for imparting your knowledge,” Kija said as he stood up stiffly and and made for the door. “I am sorry to have imposed on you.”

_Ryokuryuu? Oh hell no._

In a split second, Jae-Ha made up his mind. _Grant me courage, Kamisama._

“Kija. Wait.”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> UST, anyone? I have 10 servings of those coming up. This was supposed to be a really quick story but well, one thing led to another and I now I just can’t leave these two boys alone. Hang on for Chapter 2!


	2. Chapter 2

Kija stopped walking. He didn't turn around, but his heart was still pounding - because did he really just ask that of Jae-Ha? Did he even _know_ what he was asking for when he said those words? If he were to be honest with himself, the answer was a resounding _no_.

He shuddered internally as he remembered all of Grandma's attempts to ensnare him in marriage, how the village girls he grew up with suddenly started behaving in unfamiliar ways when he came of age. Breathy voices and perfumed hair, pressing their chests into his arm every chance they got. He heard them sing praises of his beauty and how he would sire the most beautiful children. The women wanted him to the point of worship, and he never wanted any of them in return. Worst of all, he didn't even know what exactly it was that they wanted. He still blushed too much whenever he overhears Jae-Ha tease Hak about visiting certain places for ‘stress relief’.

"Kija?" Jae-Ha took a few long strides and grasped his wrist carefully from behind, his searching tone gentle. But Kija wasn't ready to face Jae-Ha yet. This tight feeling in his chest was foreign and it could mean anything. If it were... _attraction_ , as they called it, how exactly was he hoping for this to play out? He was still mortified by his own words to Jae-Ha earlier.

_You are of my choosing._

Beyond a presence like that of an older brother, Jae-Ha had always seemed to be the exact opposite of him, Kija thought. Kija devoted his thoughts entirely to the group and the Princess' protection; Jae-Ha seemed to have a myriad of emotions relating to every experience in the world. Kija was sheltered and pampered within a single village; Jae-Ha had to fight tooth and nail to survive till now. Jae-Ha knew all the ways of the world, romance, the pleasures of the flesh... but Kija? Kija knew nothing.

But isn't that exactly why he blurted out his ludicrous request earlier? 

When the crowd touched his dragon arm, he felt a stirring like nothing he’d ever known. It was like a small fire had been lit in his loins, and it made his breath catch and his knees weak. The sensation was not entirely terrible - for a moment, perhaps, he even understood the  _pleasure_ that Jae-Ha was referring to. But his lack of control over the situation and the sense of violation at being touched so intimately instantly overwrote any other thought. His scales feel dirty and defiled; he desperately wished to change that. And he knew that Jae-Ha, with his kind eyes and experienced hands, was the only one who could help him.

Kija turned around, aware that his blush was probably spreading in an unsightly manner down to his neck by now. With his dragon hand, he covered Jae-Ha’s fingers that were still holding onto his other wrist. He looked directly into Jae-Ha’s eyes and mustered his courage once more.

“Jae-Ha, I-,” he faltered for a moment under the other’s intent gaze. “I am sorry for my harsh words, just now. It’s just that this is so unfamiliar to me, and I don’t even _know_ what I am asking for. But I trust you entirely. Please, Jae-Ha. Teach me what I need to know.”

***

Jae-Ha was utterly and completely fucked.

In all twenty-five years of his life, he’d never heard anything that made his heart clench in adoration like this. Kija’s words were pure, but all Jae-Ha wanted to do was to ravish him against the door right there and then. His reservations about seducing Kija - _a fellow dragon!_ his subconscious reminded him - were almost about to fly out of the window. But this was not about him. Kija, in his innocent fear and confusion, was counting on Jae-Ha to get him through this struggle with his body. So Jae-Ha’s own darned feelings could go rot in a ditch for all he cared.

Still, he knew it would be difficult task to rein in his passion later, once they got started. If Jae-Ha were to be honest with himself, Kija’s beauty had already won him over when they first met. And all this time they spent together, fighting side by side, had only strengthened the admiration and want that Jae-Ha had for the young Hakuryuu. Kija was strong, both physically and mentally, yet delicate and gentle at times. He hated to look weak, and loved their mismatched party with a loyalty that was fierce and true. In his presence, Jae-Ha’s own sordid past was amplified more than ever. Kija was naturally and genuinely beautiful inside and out, the sort of beauty that Jae-Ha himself had been yearning for all his life. 

 _Am I really worthy of touching him_?

“Kija, I..I will ask you one final time,” he said, keeping his voice steady so as to not betray his inner turmoil. “Are you absolutely sure about this?”

“Yes,” came Kija’s reply - barely a whisper, but filled with conviction.

“All right,” Jae-Ha said softly, and took a step forward. “Tell me if things don’t feel right or good for you. I will stop whenever you ask me to.”

“You don’t have to worry about hurting me, Jae-Ha. I want this.”

A pause.

“I want you.”

And then there were no more words as Jae-Ha placed slid a hand onto Kija’s cheek, cradling his nape and closing the distance between them with a soft, chaste kiss. Ever so gently, he started caressing Kija’s lips with his own. As Jae-Ha expected, however, Kija was strung as tight as a bowstring, lips unmoving and eyes clenched shut. For all his bold words, the boy was terrified of his own body and its reactions.

Slipping his arm around the younger man, he embraced Kija like delicate porcelain, using his thumb to gently stroke between the stiff shoulder blades. _Slowly does it_ , he reminded himself, as he turned his head to change the angle of the kiss, giving Kija more space.

“Open your mouth, Kija dear,” he murmured. “Don’t forget to breathe.”

As Kija followed his instructions obediently, Jae-Ha took the chance to dive in and explore the sweet taste of his mouth. It turned him on unbearably that he was the first and only person that Kija has ever let in like this. This was uncharted territory, and he was making discoveries every moment, every corner he explored. Jae-Ha poured out his heart into the kiss, calling on his own vast experience in love-making to make this unforgettable for Kija. Yet even as he did so, he realised how all of his past lovers paled in comparison to the man before him, who, in the midst of fighting an unseen battle between body and mind, was still the loveliest creature he’s ever held in his arms.

He’d never wanted to so thoroughly seduce another person. Breathing deeply, he began walking Kija backwards while he tried to regain control.

As Kija backed into the wall, Jae-Ha gently reached for his dragon arm with one hand while bracing against the wall with the other. He began with feather-light strokes across the scales, moving his mouth down to Kija’s neck in order to distract from any discomfort and heighten the sensations at the same time. He traced the long lines of that white forearm with his fingertips, slowly working his way down until he could interlock his fingers loosely with Kija’s. When his mouth found a pulse point close to the collarbone, a strong beat hammering close to the surface, he couldn’t help but latch his lips onto it, sucking that small delicious bit of heated skin into his mouth.

“ _Ungh_!”

Kija let out a small, high-pitched cry that seemed to be ripped out of him, and Jae-Ha was suddenly shoved a step back as Kija covered his mouth, mortified that he made a sound like _that_.

The innocent reaction turned Jae-Ha’s innards and self-restraint to complete mush. His arousal was painfully obvious now - he had to remind himself to keep a measure of distance in order not to scare his partner any more than he was doing already. Leaning his forehead against Kija, he scrambled for coherent thought.

“Kija, if you-“ he started.  _If you keep making sounds like that, I won’t be able to control myself any longer_.

“I’m sorry, that was so undignified of me-“ Kija interrupted, panting. “I won’t do that again.”

Jae-Ha let out a little laugh.

“Kija dear, no one is watching us. Let me hear you,” he said as he caressed Kija’s face, dropping sweet kisses onto his eyelids and nose. “I’ll let you touch my scales too, alright? My reaction will be equally strong, if not stronger, since Hakuryuu is the one touching me.”

If it was possible, Kija’s face blushed even more at that.

 _I guess it’s time to show Kija what he came for_ , Jae-Ha thought to himself. He turned around, kneeling to remove the fastenings on his shoes and slip them off. As he stood up, he undid the top buttons of his robe and the lacings on his pants to feel more comfortable as well. He turned around - and was greeted with the breathtaking sight of Kija entirely naked. His jaw dropped slightly.

“I-I thought Rokyuryuu was disrobing, so it was time for me to do so a-as well...” Kija stammered, covering in between his legs. “Isn’t that what people do in times like this?” He sounded genuinely confused. 

“I wasn’t...I was just....." Jae-Ha sighed in amusement, then grinned. “Never mind that, the room was getting too hot anyway. Now we can _really_ move along.”

His traitorous hardness jumped a little in excitement at the prospect. It didn’t help that Kija’s lean and pale body - scars and all - were now exposed for his viewing. They’d seen each other naked every now and then, for baths or Yoon’s treatments, but never quite like this. Unwilling to wait any longer, Jae-Ha discarded his long robe, throwing it into a far corner of the room. He was keenly aware of Kija’s eyes on him as he slowly pushed linen pants down his long legs, revealing the green scales as he did so.

“Wow.” A single word exhaled from Kija’s lips.

“Like what you see?” Jae-Ha raised a brow.

“Your...ah....” Kija’s face was fully red now.

Jae-Ha belatedly realised that Kija wasn’t looking at his leg, but rather at the evidence of his arousal, jutting proudly from a nest of dark green curls. He was even leaking a little from the kisses earlier - but who could blame him, when the person he was kissing was Kija?

“Kija.” He held out a hand. “Come to bed with me.”

Still endearingly shy, Kija took his hand and followed him to the single futon that had been laid out earlier. Jae-Ha lay down, taking a moment to put his arms behind his head, the very picture of ease, laying himself bare to Kija’s gaze.

Kija joined him on the futon, shuffling a little closer on his hands and knees to Jae-Ha’s right side. As he did so, the juxtaposition of his white dragon arm beside Jae-Ha’s green leg gave him pause. Curiosity got the better of him and he reached out to touch the green scales, wondering how it would feel like for the both of them.

The instant the scales made contact, something seemed to pull from the base of his spine, white hot and coursing out of his body. There was a split second of pain and Kija hissed in shock - it felt as if he dipped his hand into molten fire.

Then the pain morphed into pleasure; Jae-Ha’s answering cry echoed through the small room.

Kija gasped, overcome with the intensity and raw passion of _whatever it was_ that surged through him. His eyes were shut tightly, hand still on Jae-Ha’s leg. He swayed on his knees.

Jae-Ha hurriedly sat up and caught Kija before he collapsed, one arm sliding around his narrow waist, the other at the back of his neck, laying him gently down on the pillows.

“What on earth,” Jae-Ha breathed, “was that?” He had never felt such a strong wave of desire, even though he was already fully aroused. _It must be something in the dragon blood_ , he thought.

Kija was looking up, his pupils blown out and slightly unfocused.

Jae-Ha’s ‘are you alright?’ was cut off as two desperate hands tugged him down, devouring his mouth with a searing kiss that took Jae-Ha’s breath away. Before he knew it, Kija had climbed above him, trapping him in the kiss with his entire body. Where Kija lacked in skill, he more than made up for with enthusiasm, half-crazed with this white-hot desire that the dragon blood awoken in him. His tongue dove deeply into Jae-Ha’s mouth, exploring each and every corner. 

Jae-Ha had been trying his damned best to hold back and take things slow, but with Kija whimpering and unthinkingly grinding his smooth pale body against the length of him, he was surely going to lose his mind. Or come. Or both. At the same time. In fact, with the way Kija was kissing him, there was a high chance that Jae-Ha would come _before_ Kija. And that was just NOT on.

So Jae-Ha did what any master of seduction would - he took over.Using the last shreds of his self-control, he gripped Kija’s slim waist and flipped their positions, breaking the kiss. As he pinned Kija’s shoulders down onto the futon, he took a moment to admire his partner’s current state - a thoroughly kissed mouth, light sheen of sweat, and a heaving chest. He smirked a little when he realised  _he_  was the one to make Kija look this way.

With a quick kiss to Kija’s lips - _who could resist?_ \- he made his way south, leaving a hot, wet trail down Kija’s neck, lapping up the light taste of Kija’s sweat as if it were the sweetest nectar. When he encountered the hard pink nub of Kija’s nipple, he took it into his mouth without a moment’s hesitation.

Kija let out a soft keening sound at that. His hands came round to grasp onto Jae-Ha’s hair as one nipple, then the other, were licked and teased mercilessly. Every time his dragon arm came into contact with Jae-Ha's hair, shoulder, or back, he climbed further and further towards an unnamed emotion.

“Please please please please.....” he begged, almost in tears. He needed _more_ , but of what, he still didn’t know.

“Shh...it’s okay. I’ll take care of you,” Jae-Ha promised.

When Kija had been reduced to a trembling mess on the futon, Jae-Ha finally lifted his mouth with a smacking sound. Slowly and deliberately, he pulled himself up, half-lidded gaze travelling down the length of Kija’s vulnerable body. He wet his lips as he tied his long hair into a bun and straddled the sides of Kija’s thighs.

“Close your eyes, Kija.” Jae-Ha ordered breathily. He was panting now, shaking with the urge for release. But he would hold back - he  _must_ hold back, for Kija's sake.

As before, Kija obeyed, eyelids fluttering shut. The absolute trust that Kija placed in Jae-Ha made his heart clench once more - his love for Kija both as a dragon brother and a chosen lover threatened to overflow in the form of tears. He renewed his conviction to make sure Kija would never forget this night.

Jae-Ha lowered his mouth again, this time engulfing the length of Kija in one smooth motion.

Kija jerked involuntarily, hands gripping air as he released a long, drawn-out moan. Jae-Ha had to grab the base of his own hardness to keep from coming at the sound. When the momentary danger had passed, he began working on Kija’s length in earnest. 

When he looked up in between his ministrations, he saw that Kija still had his eyes closed. _So obedient_ , he thought, as he devoted his attentions to the tip, swirling his tongue around and pushing Kija ever closer to the edge.

“ _Jae-Ha_...” Kija whispered. “I c-can’t, oh god please Jae-oh god, I- p-please....” His voice devolved into a litany of mindless words.

 _Not long now_. Jae-Ha wet a finger with his saliva and slid his hand down, down, towards another part of Kija that had never before been touched. He pressed a light finger against Kija’s entrance at the same moment that he took Kija deep into his throat.

With a sob, Kija’s first orgasm tore through him like a fire devouring everything in its path. The sensations consumed his entire being, leaving him trembling in the aftermath. Jae-Ha held him in place, taking in the sight of Kija riding through his release. His back was arched like a bow, lifting him off the futon, and his head was thrown back in a wordless cry.

Jae-Ha had never seen anything more beautiful in his life. 

***

When Kija finally opened his eyes, it was to the sight of Jae-Ha kneeling up, looking down at him with what looked like adoration, a soft smile on his lips. His heart was still racing from that overwhelming release, but even then, he felt it skip a beat under Jae-Ha’s gaze.

That was when he noticed that Jae-Ha was still painfully hard and leaking almost constantly - but not doing anything to touch himself. Instead, Jae-Ha’s hands were both occupied; one was grasping Kija’s dragon hand lightly, the other was stroking his hip in a soothing manner, helping him to calm down from that orgasmic high.

 _Ryokuryuu put his own needs aside for me_ , Kija realised. The thought made his own lips curve up in an answering smile from the warmth it brought to his heart. 

Then Kija became acutely aware of where Jae-Ha’s dragon leg rested beside his own - sparks of desire continued to spread from where they touched, up towards his groin. He suddenly had an idea.

He looked up directly into the violet eyes.

“Jae-Ha,” his voice came out unnaturally husky, but he powered through. “It’s my turn to touch you now.”

Jae-Ha nodded once, seemingly unable to trust his own voice.

Kija slid backwards, pulling himself to his hands and knees to face Jae-Ha. Carefully, he reached out his dragon arm towards the evidence of Jae-Ha’s arousal. He wrapped his hand around the length, feeling the solid warmth in his fingers for the first time. He moved his hand experimentally up and down, enjoying how that unique heat afforded by the dragon scales was tingling through his fingers, almost like he was transferring some of that pleasure he just felt back to the person who gave it to him.

Unsure of what to do beyond this, he looked up at Jae-Ha for help. The green dragon’s eyes were blazing now; his bottom lip was drawn between his teeth as he breathed harshly through his nose. 

He looked so tense, so tortured, that Kija leaned upwards to kiss him softly, just as Jae-Ha first did for him earlier.

And that was all it took. As Jae-Ha’s mouth opened to Kija’s kiss, he groaned out his release, spilling onto Kija’s hand. It went on and on and on, the effects of holding back the whole night crashing back onto him. Wave after wave of pleasure washed over him, leaving him light-headed and shaking.

Jae-Ha passed out. Or he was so caught up in the sensory onslaught that he lost track of everything else. When awareness came back to him, his face was buried in Kija’s shoulder, and Kija’s arms were wrapped around him protectively. 

Absurdly, Jae-Ha felt the urge to cry. He couldn’t remember the last time he’s been held like this, had pleasure like this, or allowed himself to be loved like this.

And as he caught his breath against Kija’s shoulder, he silently let the tears fall.

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Honestly my first draft of this fic was just a PWP but the more I wrote the more I just wanted these boys to love and take care of each other ;_; I hope you enjoyed reading this as much as I did writing it - happy new year!
> 
> (Psst.. I’m thinking of adding an epilogue for some extra fluff, let me know what you think!)


	3. Epilogue

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Fluff, so much fluff ❀.(*´◡`*).❀

Kija felt wetness dripping past his shoulders and down his back.

_Tears...?_

He felt, more than heard, how Jae-Ha made to suppress his heaving breaths in order to hide the fact that he was crying. It came as a shock to Kija - for in all the time he has known Jae-Ha, he’d never actually seen him cry.

For a brief moment, Kija contemplated saying something to comfort the other man, but eventually held his tongue. The Jae-Ha he knew preferred to hide his emotional side from others, masking his fears behind an air of self-assuredness that could both frustrate and intimidate. No matter his reasons for concealing his feelings, Kija would not intrude on that boundary until Jae-Ha personally invited him to cross. Whatever was bothering the worldly Ryokuryuu was probably something beyond his own understanding anyway. So Kija simply held him tighter in his arms, wishing he could use his body to shield against whatever was causing Jae-Ha so much sorrow suddenly. He lay back slowly, using his dragon arm to guide Jae-Ha’s body to settle down beside him.

Peaceful minutes passed as Kija simply held Jae-Ha close to him, letting his fingers drift up and down Jae-Ha’s back. With his other hand he idly brushed a lock of green hair off of the other man’s forehead. His thoughts slowly wandered back to the haze of _bliss_ that Jae-Ha led him to earlier. He blushed slightly, glad that Jae-Ha wasn’t looking at him this very moment.

 _So that is what people do when they care for each other_ , he thought to himself. _That’s... wonderful._

Kija wondered if he should be a little put out by the fact that no one saw fit to educate him about this earlier, such that he felt rather foolish about it all. But the gladness he felt in his heart gave him the answer. Everything had its own time - so many trials and twists of fate had to pass before he was led into Jae-Ha’s arms today. He was immensely grateful because, in his deepest of hearts, Jae-Ha was the only one he wanted to touch him this way. It wasn’t because he didn’t love the other members of the Hungry Happy Bunch - but there was just _something_ he felt when he was near Jae-Ha that made his heart beat just a little faster.

He felt it when Jae-Ha’s protective instincts kicked in and he fell from the sky to defend Kija in a fight, even if he were injured himself. He felt it when he thought about how Jae-Ha had to leave his first real family behind in Awa, against his principles of freedom, to join them on their journey. He felt it when Hak told him in private about the events that unfurled at the hot spring - how Jae-Ha was ready to fight the Thunder Beast himself just to make sure no one saw the scars on Kija’s back.

At first he’d thought the green dragon overly dramatic and ridiculous, but he'd begun to realise that every single one of Jae-Ha's actions came from a deeply loving heart. A heart that shone, even through his wretched upbringing and his facade of being a flamboyant blackguard. Jae-Ha held himself responsible for the group since he was the oldest (Zeno’s immortality aside), and it pained him more than physical injuries when any one of them got hurt. This side of Jae-Ha was what drew Kija inexplicably to him.

Right now, as he looked down, he thought it a thing of wonder - how well their bodies seemed to fit into each other, almost as if they were joined together once upon a time. What Kija feels for him - it wasn’t like what Jae-Ha describes when he goes after a cute girl, with rapidly fired praises of their superficial beauty. In fact, it seemed a little closer to the spell-binding connection he has with the Princess. And even if he could not put a name to it yet, he acknowledged in his heart how important this relationship with Ryokuryuu was to him.

“Kija, a penny for your thoughts?” Jae-Ha’s voice was gentle as he broke  through Kija’s reverie. Kija looked down and pretended he didn’t see the redness around Jae-Ha’s eyes, focusing instead on how Jae-Ha looked in the afterglow, a little soft around the edges, his face completely open to Kija's gaze.

“Thank you,” Kija began with a smile. “That’s the first thing I wish to say. Thank you for teaching me.”

Jae-Ha’s face took on a curious expression upon hearing this. Kija thought he’d be happy to hear a word of thanks after how he’d helped Kija, but Jae-Ha’s mouth seemed to turn down just the slightest bit at the corners. Kija didn’t know why, but he hadn’t finished responding to Jae-Ha’s question, so he kept speaking.

“Anyway, you asked me for my thoughts. I was just thinking of how much I’ve grown to care for you, and how much you mean to me, after all this time,” he answered simply and honestly.

Jae-Ha did not respond for a long moment. It might just have been Kija's imagination, but there seemed to be light in Jae-Ha's eyes. Then Kija felt a shaky soft exhalation of breath across his chest as Jae-Ha wrapped his arms just a little tighter around him and looked back down.

“Me… too, Kija.” Jae-Ha’s voice came from below. The voice was trembling, a little hoarse. "Me, too."

Kija smiled to himself as he dropped a soft kiss into Jae-Ha's hair.

 

***

 

The door creaked open.

Jae-Ha scrambled in a tangle of limbs to shield Kija’s nakedness with his body from whoever was entering. Yoon’s head popped through the door first. His eyes widened, taking in Jae-Ha’s state of undress and a flash of pale bare skin behind him. He saw Jae-Ha’s red-rimmed eyes and realised that something important must have transpired between the white and green dragons in their absence.

He opened his mouth to say something, but it was Hak’s deep voice that reached them first. “Yoon, move. Don’t block the door.”

Kija sprung up too, intending to make a run for his clothes before anyone else came in, but the sheets of the futon got caught in his dragon claws. He tipped backwards at the loss of balance and fell butt-first back into Jae-Ha’s lap, launching the torn futon into the air. Jae-Ha and Kija looked at each other in fond bewilderment as a cloud of feathers released from the futon floated down gently all around them.

Yoon took in all of this. He blinked once, slowly, then twice.

Taking two measured steps backwards, he closed the door.

“Let’s ask the servants if they have another room available," he said matter-of-factly to the others outside. "This one is unusable,” 

A chorus of protests arose.

“What do you mean, Yoon?”

“We were all just inside earlier!

“Zeno is tired!”

Yoon smacked his own forehead internally, wondering what on earth he should do with this bunch of literal five-year-olds.

“There’s a snake and a damned lizard in that room. I’m not sleeping with them tonight. If anyone complains, you’ll cook for yourself the rest of the month!” he yelled, exasperated.

 

“Yes, Mother!”

 

\- END -

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so glad that this rare-pair gained some small measure of love from you all <3 I may be continuing this as a series as the manga progresses. Thank you so much for reading!


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